Women, Sports, and Stress Incontinence

It's a delicate subject, but one that many women
experience.

Urinary incontinence , or leaking
urine, is a common, embarrassing female problem that keeps women from working out or playing sports.

Researchers wanted to take a look at stress urinary incontinence in the
general population of women who play sports for recreation to see if they could
find out who is more at risk and what can be done about it. Stress urinary
incontinence is characterized by involuntary leakage of urine related to
activity, such as coughing , sneezing, or
lifting.

The study was led by Stefano Salvatore, MD, from the University of Insubria
in Varese, Italy. The researchers gathered information from 679 women whose
average age was 36. The participants were not professional athletes and were
still having regular periods.

The women played basketball (17%), tennis and squash (11%), skied and
windsurfed (7%), were cyclers and volleyball players (6%), and swimmers
(4%).

Stress Urinary Incontinence and Sports

Among the women surveyed:

• 15% (101) reported symptoms of stress urinary incontinence.


• On average, women with leaking urine had the condition for up to six
  years.


• Women with a higher body mass index (BMI) were more likely to report
  urinary stress incontinence than those
  of normal weight .


• Women who had given birth were more likely to say they experienced stress
  urinary incontinence than did women who had never given birth.

• 32 had symptoms only when playing sports.


• 48 had symptoms when going about their daily life.


• 21 had symptoms both when playing sports and in daily life situations.


• Jumping was linked to urinary incontinence in nearly 25% of the 101 women,
  abdominal exercises in 15%, and
  jogging in 8%.


• 10% of the 101 women changed their sports because the leakage was "so
  severe."


• 20% changed the way they played their sport to limit leakage.


• Ten of the 101 women tried different tactics to limit the problem:


• 
  
  
  
  • Three cut back on fluids.
  
  
  • Seven went for medical help, and five of them were given pelvic floor
    strengthening exercises to do. One was told to lose weight, and one was
    referred to a specialist.
  
  
  
  

The authors point out that pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the muscles
around the bladder "can be very helpful."

The results are published in the British Journal of Sports
Medicine.

By Kelley Colihan
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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